The MTV Movie & TV Awards will air Sunday evening, but the original plan for a star-filled live ceremony from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica has been scrubbed because of the Writers Guild of America strike — and instead, a taped show will be presented.
That announcement came Friday, one day after Drew Barrymore said she was stepping down as host of the planned live show in support of the striking WGA members — and amid reports that many nominees and celebrity presenters would honor a picket line the WGA had planned to stage outside the venue.
With no live show taking place, the WGA West subsequently announced it had canceled its picketing plans.
“As we carefully navigate how best to deliver the fan first awards’ show we envisioned that our team has worked so hard to create, we’re pivoting away from a live event that still enables us to produce a memorable night full of exclusive sneak peaks, irreverent categories our audience has come to expect, and countless moments that will both surprise and delight as we honor the best of film and TV over the past year,” Bruce Gillmer, president of music, music talent, programming and events at Paramount Global, and an executive producer of the MTV Movie & TV Awards, told the entertainment news website Deadline on Friday.
On Thursday, Barrymore told the trade publication Variety in a statement, “I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike.”
“Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation,” Barrymore’s statement added. “And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but I’ll be watching from home and hope you will join me.”
Barrymore said she would host next year’s ceremony.
As for Sunday’s taped program, The Hollywood Reporter said “there will still be celebrity involvement via pre-taped acceptance speeches.”
“Top Gun: Maverick” will carry a leading six film nominations into the awards, while “Stranger Things” and “The Last of Us” lead the television categories with six nods.
“Top Gun: Maverick” will compete for best movie honors with “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Elvis,” “Nope,” “Scream VI” and “Smile.”
“Stranger Things” and “The Last of Us” were both tabbed for best show, along with “The White Lotus,” “Wednesday,” “Wolf Pack,” “Yellowstone” and “Yellowjackets.”
The show is known for its often off-beat categories, such as best kiss, best fight and — new this year — best kick-ass cast. All of the categories are gender-neutral.
Nominees for best performance in a movie are Austin Butler for “Elvis,” Florence Pugh for “Don’t Worry Darling,” KeKe Palmer for “Nope,” Michael B. Jordan for “Creed III” and Tom Cruise for “Top Gun: Maverick.”
For best performance in a show, nominees are Aubrey Plaza for “The White Lotus,” Christina Ricci for “Yellowjackets,” Jenna Ortega for “Wednesday,” Riley Keough for “Daisy Jones & the Six,” Sadie Sink for “Stranger Things” and Selena Gomez for “Only Murders in the Building.”
“The White Lotus” star Jennifer Coolidge is expected to receive a “Comic Genius” award.
Here is a complete list of nominees:
BEST MOVIE
Avatar: The Way of Water
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
Nope
Scream VI
Smile
Top Gun: Maverick
BEST SHOW
Stranger Things
The Last of Us
The White Lotus
Wednesday
Wolf Pack
Yellowstone
Yellowjackets
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MOVIE
Austin Butler, Elvis
Florence Pugh, Don’t Worry Darling
KeKe Palmer, Nope
Michael B. Jordan, Creed III
Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SHOW
Aubrey Plaza, The White Lotus
Christina Ricci, Yellowjackets
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday
Riley Keough, Daisy Jones & The Six
Sadie Sink, Stranger Things
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
BEST HERO
Diego Luna, Andor
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday
Paul Rudd, Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Pedro Pascal, The Last Of Us
Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick
BEST VILLAIN
Elizabeth Olsen, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Harry Styles, Don’t Worry Darling
Jamie Campbell Bower, Stranger Things
M3GAN, M3GAN
The Bear, Cocaine Bear
BEST KISS
Anna Torv + Philip Prajoux, The Last Of Us
Harry Styles + David Dawson, My Policeman
Madison Bailey + Rudy Pankow, Outer Banks
Riley Keough + Sam Claflin, Daisy Jones & The Six
Selena Gomez + Cara Delevingne, Only Murders in the Building
BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Adam Sandler, Murder Mystery 2
Dylan O’Brien, Not Okay
Jennifer Coolidge, Shotgun Wedding
KeKe Palmer, Nope
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Bad Bunny, Bullet Train
Bella Ramsey, The Last Of Us
Emma D’Arcy, House of the Dragon
Joseph Quinn, Stranger Things
Rachel Sennott, Bodies Bodies Bodies
BEST FIGHT
Brad Pitt (Ladybug) vs. Bad Bunny (The Wolf), Bullet Train
Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers) vs. Ghostface, Scream VI
Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna) vs. Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Stranger Things
Keanu Reeves (John Wick) vs. Everyone, John Wick 4
Escape from Narkina 5- Andor
MOST FRIGHTENED PERFORMANCE
Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Cocaine Bear
Justin Long, Barbarian
Rachel Sennott, Bodies Bodies Bodies
Sosie Bacon, Smile
BEST DUO
Camila Mendes + Maya Hawke, Do Revenge
Jenna Ortega + Thing, Wednesday
Pedro Pascal + Bella Ramsey, The Last Of Us
Simona Tabasco + Beatrice Granno, The White Lotus
Tom Cruise + Miles Teller, Top Gun: Maverick
BEST KICK-ASS CAST
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Outer Banks
Stranger Things
Teen Wolf: The Movie
BEST SONG
Demi Lovato, Still Alive (Scream VI)
Doja Cat, Vegas (Elvis)
Lady Gaga, Hold My Hand (Top Gun: Maverick)
OneRepublic, I Ain’t Worried (Top Gun: Maverick)
Rihanna, Lift Me Up (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Taylor Swift, Carolina (Where The Crawdads Sing)
BEST DOCU-REALITY SERIES
Jersey Shore Family Vacation
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Family Reunion: Love & Hip Hop Edition
The Kardashians
Vanderpump Rules
BEST COMPETITION SERIES
All-Star Shore
Big Brother
RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars
The Challenge: USA
The Traitors
BEST HOST
Drew Barrymore – The Drew Barrymore Show
Joel Madden, Ink Master
Nick Cannon, The Masked Singer
RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
BEST REALITY ON-SCREEN TEAM (presented by SONIC)
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Vinny Guadagnino, Pauly D (MVP) – Jersey Shore Family Vacation
Tori Deal and Devin Walker – The Challenge: Ride or Dies
RuPaul Charles and Michelle Visage – RuPaul’s Drag Race
Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay, LaLa Kent – Vanderpump Rules
Garcelle Beauvais and Sutton Stracke – The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Halftime
Love, Lizzo
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
Sheryl
The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie